Toy gun



y 19, 1932- w. A. COVENTRY 1,868,312

TOY GUN Filed Nov. 2'7, 1929 INVENTOR WiZ/Z'a/rzA. 6 0 Herd/y *fvh ATTORNEY secured to the handle of the gun.

Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES SYLVANILA WILLIAM A. COVENTRY, or LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA,essmNonpro GREY moN CASTING COMPANY, or MOUNT JozrnNNsYLvANm, n CORPORATION OF'ZPENIIQ;

mo GUN Application ii led November 27, 192'. Serial No. v410,061.

The present invention relates to toy guns and the like, and more particularly to a toy gun adapted to project rubber bands.

Toy guns such as air rifles orbullet rifles are relatively expensive for a childs toyand are also dangerous. This accounts, in a large measure, for the popularity of band shooters where ordinary rubber bands may be used as missiles and each band may be usedjrepeatedly until lost. Due to the size of the bands I and their soft, resilient. character, children cannot damage property or endanger other children jwith them. The present type of band shooters are relatively large andjexpensive and are not sufficiently rugged to Withstand the rough usage to which they are subjected. Since siichtoys are used'inostly by small children, their cost and construction are important. Children cannot ordinarily buy expensive toys and, when bought, they subject them to the roughest kind of use. They may be tossed around, left in damp or wet places and used as hammers and as all sorts'of other tools. M l

The present invention aims to eliminate the objections and difli'culties enumerated above and to provide'an' inexpensive band shooter which is constructed of a minimum number of parts not likely tobecome disarranged, and to reduce the cost of the articles Another object of the'invention is to pro is. shown in the vide a rubber band shooter, substantiallyi in the form of a gun, having a band releasing mechanismintegral with the barrel forming member, which is simple in construction and 1 I efi'ectivein operation. a A further object of the inventionis to provide a toy gun, realistic in appearance, and adapted to afl'ordsafe amusement forsmall children. v

illustrative embodiment about to 'be'described or will be indicated in the appended claims,

jother and further obj ectsof the invention ,will be obvious upon'an understanding of the and variousadvantages not referred toherein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment-of theinvention in practice. a

While the present invention is, not limited to any particular form of gun, one embodiment of. the toy gun hasbeen chosen for the purpose of illustration and description and accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a gun showing a rubber band in position to be projected;

Q Fig.2 is alongitudinal sectional viewillus- ,trating details of the gunyand V i Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview along the lines 33 of Fig. 2. Referring again to thendrawingthere is shown apair of butt forming members 1 and 2 which may, for. convenience, be metal castings. ?P referably, these-members are'made to simulate the generalfeatures of an automatic pistol! The castings'l v and 2 are preferably hollow to provide sufiicient space for: the operative parts, of thejgun and to reduce the weight and cost thereof. A suitable. aperture 4,- in-the castings 1 and 2, provides a suitable trigger guard 5. Along the upper edges of thecastingathere are provided recesses 6- adjacent projections 7.- T-he projections 7 ,f extend upwardly, from the butt of the :gun to form holding means for an elastic band; the recess "6 providing an opening between the projections 7 for; the movement of a releasing means to be described'hereinafter. The

' muzzle end of the castings is provided with terminating inlthe groove 9 in theamuzzle of the gun and extends outwardly the necessary distance and is then bent upwardly to form the end of the barrehand also a suitable notch for an'elastic band. The end "portionof the barrel is arcuate in shape to prevent the elasticband from slipping off the end of the barrel. The return portion of the barrel forming wire fits into the grooves'8 and eX- tends beyond said grooves'along and immediately beneath the recess 6 in the castings 1 and '2. 5 At theendofthe recess,the wireis bent downwardly intoa loop 16-and'atrigger- 17.

The 1 upper j portion of the trigger projects outwardly intothe aperture 4. bypassing V through the recess'19-in the castings l and 2. ,The lower portion of the trigger 1 passes through the recess 20 andterminates' within thev castings. The lower portion'of the loop 1-6 preferably passes above the, rivet 12, when the trigger is pressed, the loop 16 will have to move upwardly'sinoe it is pivoted or, clamped the grooves 8 in the muzzle, of'thegun.

Pressure upon the trigger, as will be observed, will cause the loop to'be raised upwardly through the slot'6 and between the projections '7. The'rubberb'and l8, stretched from the end 15 of the barrel. over the projections 7 will be forced npwardlyand released by theloop 16 actuated by the trigger '17 The projections 17 serve as a -holding means forthe rubber band and, addition,

" give the appearance of the usual sight'on a revolver. V

In'themanufacture of suchea device, 'the butt forming'member's may bereadily and in-' expensively formed of suitable castings and V. the barrel forming wire member maybe bent 'into its proper shap'e'by au'tom aticfmachinery prior to assembling the parts. The threeelements' may be readily 'assembledand secured together'by the rivet 12. The .several'parts are simple and inexpensive in construction and may'be secured rigidly in positionby a I single rivet.

band 18 is stretched from the end 1 50f the 'barrelover the projections 'or sight 7, in

' which position it will remain until released by pressure upon'the trigger 17. By pressing Intheoperation of thedevice, the'rub'ber upon the trigger in the usual manner, the

loop 16 is moved upwardly through the re- Y cess 6 intermediate the projections 7 about the clamped portion of the wire at the muzzle of the gun. This-forces the elastic band upwardly over the projections 7, thereby releasing it. The rubber bands'may be purchased in various stores, particularly stationery stores, or, as is often the case, be

cut from inner tubes used in automobile tires.

It will be seen that the'present invention provides an attractive, rugged toy gun constructionformed from three partswhich may be assembled by the application of a single rivet.- Thebutt, of the. gun simulates the butt of ana'utomatic pistol and ismade from a pair of inexpensive castings. The barrel of the gun is made from a continuous wire v which is bent .at one end to form the releasing member for the bandsand also to form the triggerfor operating the releasing niemben Since these movable portions are made of a single piece 'ofwire, there is nothing to break or toget outof'order; hence, the gun 1S very rugged in'constructionand capable of withstanding very rough usage. Further, the device may be manufacturedat a very low'cost so thatfit may be sold in chain store synd .i

cates atafprice attractive to children.- M

As various changes may be made in the a form, constructiom'and arrangementoi. parts without departing from the spiritand scope,

of "the invention and without sacrificing its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted asrillustrative and not in' a limitingsense.

Having thus described my invention, vI

claim 1, Ina device 'of the class" described, the

combination of means forming the butt of a gun, a member bent upon itselfto "form the barrel of the gun, and means for engaging an'elastic band, one end of said member beingadapted to be moved to engage and release said band from said engaging means;

. 2 In a device of the class described, the combination of a member adapted to form the barrel iof a gun, a pair of butt members adapted to hold said barrel forming mem- ,ber andrto permit movement of a portion said barrel forming member, and means for:

actuating said movable portion of the barrel forming member to release a missile. v

I 3. In a device of the class described, the comblnation of a member adapted to form the barrel ofa gun, a pair o-f-butt members adapted to'en'gage said barrel forming member and to pivotally support a portion there we of, and a trigger integral with said pivo;

portion to actuate said pivoted portion about '7 its-pivot to release anelastiobandQ :4. In a device "of the class described,'the combination of 'a'wi're'or rod bent'upon it- 1 self to form-thebarrelof a gu n,..the outer:

end of the barrel being adaptedtorcceivefandf 1 a trigger, said butt members having a recess adjacent said pivoted end and a projection extending upwardly from said recess for receiving an elastic band whereby, when the triggeris-pressed, said pivoted end is moved upwardly to release the elastic band from said projection. 5. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a pair of butt forming mem- I bers grooved to receive a wire, a wire bent upon itself to form the barrel of the gun'with its ends secured in said grooves, one end'of said wire extending inwardly along the upper edge of the butt forming members and being bent downwardly to form the trigger,

whereby pressure upon the trigger raises the end of the wire extending along the upper portion of the butt members.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of butt forming members adapted to be clamped together to form the butt of a gun, a recess along the upper portion of the butt forming members with upwardly extending projections on the sides of said recess for engaging and holding an elastic band, and a releasing means comprising a substantially resilient member bent upon itself and adapted to be raised through said recess and between said projections to release said band.

7. In a device for projecting elastic bands,

the combination of means for forming a butt and a small rod bent upon itself to form the barrel. of a gun, said rod having one end bent to provide a band releasing means, and

a trigger formed from said rod pivoted within said butt and adapted to raise said releasing means. V

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of members forming the butt of a gun, said members being grooved to receive a wire, and a wire secured in said grooves at the muzzle of the gun and extending out-' wardly a substantialdistancefrom the muzzle and being bent upon itself and returned to said muzzle passing through a second groove, one end of said wire being formed into a loop within said butt forming members, said loop being adapted to act'about the fixed portion of the wire to release an elastic band, anda trigger integral with said loop.

9. In a device for projecting elastic bands, the combination of a wire member for forming the barrel of the gun, said wire member having a loop bent therein to provide a band releasing means, and a trigger portion formed from said wire adjacent to said loop and adapted to move said loop upwardly.

10. A band releasing device for a toy gun comprising a substantially resilient wire member, a trigger formed from said member, 1

and a band releasing portion integral with said trigger adapted to be bent upwardly to the trigger is released, said releasing portion being normally out of engagement with the band. j WILLIAM A. COVENTRY.

I 7 release a band when said trigger is pulled and j adapted to return to its normal position when 

